


Tales from the Flipside

by BlossomingRosebud



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Adoptions, Adventure, Aftermath, Alien Culture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Diplomacy, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Future, Gen, I need happiness, Parenthood, Randomness, Reunions, Team Fluff, Team Voltron Family, Team as Family, Voltron Alliance, World Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 03:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlossomingRosebud/pseuds/BlossomingRosebud
Summary: The empire has fallen.  Ten thousand years from this war's onset, and it looks like peace has finally come, or at least, that's what it's supposed to do.  Challenges are plentiful, for sure, but the future is full of promise all the same.A series of drabbles, one-shots, and mini-stories following the adventures of the Paladins in those years following the events of the series.





	Tales from the Flipside

**Author's Note:**

> Ha ha, yes! Feels good to finally get this out. I actually started writing on this thing a few months ago, but once Season 3 was close by, I wanted to wait until afterwards so I could go ahead and include that as canon. Of course...that's easier said than done. This first chapter, in which Shiro and Pidge reunite with Matt, I had mostly written before Season 3, but I decided to go ahead and use it anyways, just going through the changing a bunch of stuff around first. So, sorry if it seems out of place. However, I am still wanting to diverge off of the first three seasons for this. I am intentionally leaving the details vague, as that is all history now, though I might write out a better backstory later. But basically, my headcanon is that yes, current Shiro is totally a clone, and yes, General Acxa is totally Keith's mother. Because I think it would be a whole lot of fun if she were. And there a really nice and big endgame, Lotor and Haggar are dead, everyone else is scattered to the wind and dimensions, and lets just say Zarkon didn't wake up at the end of S3. So there.
> 
> But basically, the idea behind this series is that once this is all over, I really don't imagine that the Paladins would be able to seamlessly drift back into life on Earth. I'll address this more in later chapters, but in short, I'm making it that they end up staying in space and making a somewhat permanent home on Arus. After all, they are still Voltron. And though I would like to give them happiness, I could imagine that there would still be problems - things like that gargantuan power vacuum that now exists and all those nations and factions and pirates that would just love to get the best out of the deal. Things like that. But really, I would just love to explore the team's dynamic, and establish the bonds with their lions as a lifelong one.

_2017_

Okay, this was it.  Right now.  No more waiting—today was the day.  Today was the day that she was most definitely leaving.

With grim-set determination, Pidge ventured to pack up all the stuff she needed.  Her computer, her _other_ computer, the sensors – complete with all the files, all the information she needed.  That was all she needed to be ready.  Well, besides food…that might be necessary, just a little bit.  But she could steal some of that from the kitchen before she left.  Otherwise, her backpack – the same worn-through one she had been toting around space for nearly a year now – was loaded and ready to go.  Maybe, well, mostly ready…

She still needed to tell everyone else.

The thought of it brought a bit of unwelcome resistance, but that wasn’t nearly enough to make her change her mind.  She _had_ to go.  She might go crazy if she didn’t.  For months now she had been poring over the evidence.  She couldn’t even count how many times she had stared intently at that one scrap of footage, hoping – praying – for anything of a lead.  She would have run with what she had sooner, but things had become a little… _busy_ around here.  Or rather, chaos and panic had reigned, and those were events better left forgotten.  They were okay now.  They were _whole_ now.  Which was exactly why now was the best time to leave and do what she longed to do most.  She _will_ find them.  She’d gone this far…and whenever Pidge, whenever Katherine Valentina Holt went this far, or even just started at all, especially on something as critically important as this, she had to see it through to the end.

As Pidge finally exited her bunker and traipsed steadily down the hallway, pack on her back, she was surprised once again to see light streaming in through the windows – _natural_ light.  Not the darkness of empty space.  Well, technically, they _had_ been to plenty of planets with light during their travels, and they passed just as many stars, which even with light traveling through a vacuum could be technically designated as ‘natural’, but it wasn’t quite like seeing Arus’s sun again.  They were sitting, resting here, in the place where they started, under a sun that looked conspicuously a whole lot like Earth’s.  It was nice, actually, because that Arus light was something like a beacon of victory right now.  And peace.  But if Pidge had her way, by the end of the day she would headlong in the cold dark heart of space again because—so help her—she was _leaving_ and she was _finding_ her family!

Pidge flung open the door to the control room with excessive force (not angry, just emotional, you know?) to successfully find the first three recipients to her news: Allura, Coran, and Shiro.  They were just standing around and talking, apparently, but once she came in, it was on her that all eyes rested. 

“Well, Number Five, what’s got _your_ hedgemuffins in a twist?” Coran cocked his head to the side and asked jestingly while the others just stared.  It was then that Pidge realized she must have been rather conspicuous, what with the packed bag and dramatic air and all.  Plus, it also occurred to her that she hadn’t seen any of these guys since…what was it?  Yesterday morning?  Or was it the morning before that?  She didn’t know – she was too busy researching.  Who has time for food and sleep, anyways?

“Guys, I’m leaving,” Pidge declared with as best a note of finality as she could muster, still not quite sure as to what their reactions would be.  They would understand, right?  They wouldn’t try to stop her from leaving?  Well, she was going no matter what…but still.  She didn’t exactly _want_ to argue.  She would yell and scream gladly at anyone else in the universe day and night, but these guys?  And the other Paladins?  They were as much family as her real one.

Funny enough, no one looked _that_ surprised.  They probably expected something like this sooner or later, given the circumstances.  Still, Allura cocked an eyebrow and had to put on that motherly ‘explain-yourself’ tone as she followed with a “And _where_ are you going?”

Pidge breathed nice and deep.  “I’m going to find my family.  I finally managed to track down the rebels who took Matt, and it looks like they’re on a planet in the Natales Galaxy, fourth sector.  So, I’m sorry, but I decided to take Green and go find him.  And don’t try to talk me out of it, because I’ve already made up my mind.”  The last part went without saying, really.  “I’ll be back in a few weeks, most likely,” If everything goes as planned, anyways, “and…I think Voltron will be fine without me, now.”

Hopefully that part was without question.  Still, there was always the chance _something_ could go wrong.  _Someone_ could come up.  Pidge couldn’t exactly deny the possibility.  But if anything _did_ happen, no one would doubt that she would be back here and fighting with the rest of them before you could say ‘peanut butter’.  But hey, who knows?  Maybe, if they were lucky, the Galra Empire was finally gone for good. 

However, that did not actually turn out to be the thing in question.  “Natales?” Allura echoed, a quite noticeable backing of concern etched into her voice.  “Pidge, you’re absolutely _not_ going out there alone.  What if the Galra attacked you?  You’d be _completely_ vulnerable.  No, if you’re going, we all are.  We’ll take the Castle of Lions.”

“No, it’s fine,” Pidge contradicted quickly, strongly.  No, there was no ‘we’ here this time – she loved them and all, but this was _her_ mission.  It wouldn’t be fair to drag the entire whole of Voltron across the universe with her, not after they were _finally_ at rest, a state she was sure meant much more to the others than it did to her.  This was _her_ quest.  She would do it alone.  “Allura, I can take care of myself.”

“You realize Lotor’s generals could still be out there?  _No_.”

“Trust me, I’ll be fine.”  Yeah, sure, she got the concern, but seriously?  She wasn’t a _child_.  At least not anymore.  And she knew they knew this.  However…okay, okay, _maybe_ she understood the problem.  After all, they’ve been all together again for maybe three weeks now, and, well…the last time one of them left, they got replaced by a freakin’ _clone_.  Kind of bad, yes.  Granted, that particular possibility wouldn’t make much sense for her – huh, what would a clone of her even look like?  Well, it would be a duplicate, of course, but Kuron did end up different, the way he cut his hair gave the impression of being younger.  Perhaps her look-a-like would go for longer hair, like she used to?  It might if her earlier memories were the most dominant.  But then, her time at the Garrison might override…

“No, Allura’s right.”  Pidge got awakened from her pondering of scientific psychology to hear Shiro – _her_ Shiro – speak up in that unfortunately serious tone he tended to use whenever he was about to make an aggravatingly good point.  “Until we have more information, we have no reason to believe that the danger is gone just yet.  It would be too risky…”

No. No no no no.  There was no way they were waiting, not again.  Yes, she got it, the universe was a dangerous place and blah blah blah.  But if they just stood around all paranoid, something _else_ was bound to happen eventually.  She just…she really needed to find them.  Lotor and Haggar were dead (92% sure, at least), wasn’t that good enough?  She had Green; she wasn’t _all_ alone.  She was _leaving_ and that was _final_ and she would do it whether they liked it or…

“…which is why I’m going with you.”

Whelp, time to swallow _those_ words.  “Really?” she echoed lamely.  “Just you?”  Huh, she…she felt she should have expected this.  She _planned_ on going alone, but…well, sure. 

Shiro smiled, friendly and calm with that annoying hint of amusement behind his eyes (it’s because she was the youngest, wasn’t it?), and he just nodded.  “If you don’t mind traveling together.  We could take both of our Lions.”

“Well, uh, yeah, sure, I guess,” Pidge shrugged and adjusted the glasses she still didn’t need while secretly being kind of pleased.  Even though she still hard pressed for some good alone time.  But being with Shiro would be alright.  After all, he would have a lot of reason to want to find them, too…

“Shiro, are you certain this is a good idea?” Allura stared intently at him in particular, a persistent worry evident, as if, perhaps, it was still a little too soon.

The Black Paladin gave a short nod and a reassuring smile.  “If anything goes wrong, we’ll contact you immediately.”

“Well, it looks like we have a fine little quest on our hands!” Coran exclaimed jovially, sending off the Paladins with a dramatic salute.  “Destiny awaits!  Be sure to take good care of your Lions!”

Shiro stood at the ready, which was a moot point, because he _always_ did.  “Well, time to get going, then?”

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge stared at the numbers on the screen with wide eyes and a caught breath.  Yes, this was it.  This was really it.  If her coordinates were correct, then they should be coming upon them soon enough, the numbers to the planet where her long-lost brother Matt surely was.  And even if it wasn’t, these guys had to least have some sort of clue as to where he would be.

It sure took her long enough.

Seriously, Pidge hoped for sooner.  She hoped beyond hope that somewhere during this fight and their traipsing all across the universe that she would find them, at least _one_ of them.  But she had information.  And admittedly, the universe was huge, so this was bound to be tough.  But finally, she caught a lead on the movement of rebels who appeared to be the same ones that took Matt.  On two instances, they had attacked a Galra outpost, and a ship of the Galra subsequently tracked them before being ordered to turn back for some other problem.  Being lucky enough to “borrow” some coordinates from their systems, she finally had something.  Yes, it left her father still at large, but it was _something_.

Soon, Shiro’s voice over the intercom broke into her little respite of emotions.  “This is the planet?”

Pidge woke up to see what was right in front of her, a little brown speck coming up fast from the distance.  “Yep, that’s it.”  That’s where the rebels were, some group that called themselves the Vivanus and managed to show up here and there in the Galra’s records.  It was the only habitable planet in this sector.  She hoped, at least, they might actually be here, but if not, there might at least be someone who knew.  But with any luck, this was the place.  This could be where Matt was.  Pidge took a good, long breath and braced herself.  What would Matt think when he saw her?  She was different enough, that was sure.  And what about Shiro?  He would still recognize them, right?  And Shiro…gosh, Pidge could only imagine what _he_ must be thinking right now.  But all Pidge could do now was just calm down and wait for the music to start.  Green’s presence felt comforting.  She knew how much this meant to her. 

“Well, girl, here goes nothing…”

 

* * *

 

 

“One, two, three…yes!  Yes, I got it!  A full set!”  Wancle Coreo Mandenerica flung his arms up to the sky in victory, a satisfying ‘You Win!’ strung up in all its white Calibri glory on his computer screen.  It was a very good day.  After only thirty-two times of playing this game, this was already the second one he won.

“You seriously playing Tiles right now!?” An accusatory bellowing sounded abruptly behind Wancle and threatened to end his jubilation.  But you couldn’t blame him – Tiles was the only game this old computer came with.  And yet, it was sufficiently engrossing; he could match tiles and sort hands and find sets all day long.

“I’m paying attention, honest!” Wancle defended himself emphatically to his teammate and current watch-duty companion, Redbrick.  Still, he closed out the game quickly, so that camera feeds from sixteen of their locations all throughout this little planet were now the only things on his screen.  But of course, there were more screens.  The Vivanus didn’t mess around with security.  A mighty plethora of television screens crammed themselves all around the tiny watchroom and boasted feeds from a whopping 148.5 cameras positioned all over the planet.  (The 0.5 was from that fuzzy one they hadn’t yet gotten around to fixing.  They should, but it’s in a snake hole, so they really shouldn’t.)  At the moment, though, all cameras picked up the same thing – desert.  Dirt and rocks, to be precise.  The planet was completely bare of vegetation, which made for a strategic advantage, because there was nowhere invaders could hide (besides the rocks and caves, that is).

“But don’t you get it?” Redbrick waved his hands in Wancle’s face in all seriousness.  “We haven’t had a single Galra attack in this galaxy for _weeks_.  Soon, they have to do something!  Who knows what they’re planning?  They could take us by surprise!”

“Don’t worry; I’m on it!” Wancle assured while nodding spastically.  Oh, he _knew_ alright.  The Galra didn’t just die; they always had some trick up their sleeve.  That was why he served the Vivanus with as much passion as he did; the universe depended on it.  And he did, really!  (So what if he got a little bored sometimes?)  He and Redbrick both knew that he was as reliable as they came.  Nothing got past him – _nothing_.  He knew how big a threat the Galra were.  Still, rumor had it that Voltron had them on their knees – they were the ones who killed Zarkon and drove out Prince Lotor – but those were just rumors.  Tricks, even!  Yeah, Voltron was out there, but was Zarkon really dead?  Would Prince Lotor come back?  Maybe there was _another_ prince!  Another _king_ , even!  Who knew?  What he did know was they… he…wait…what was…?

“GALRA!!!”

Wancle screamed it so loud, he could sense Redbrick falling out of his chair behind him.  His fingers were shaking, pointing accusingly at the screen.  Redbrick ran over to see.  And it was true.  There, right in front of them, were two individuals, armored from head to toe – one in green and white, the other in black and white – walking through the desert.  The cameras sensors rang loud and clear – _Galra_ tech was present.  These guys were _Galra_.

And they were heading straight for them.

“Sound the alarm!” Redbrick ordered, eyes wide with the excitement and hands shaking almost as much as Wancle’s were.  “I’ll ready the missiles!”

Wancle was at the intercom in a flash, signaling the control center in the main base, situation deep within the underground.  The watchroom was just below the surface, the highest point in all the rebels’ complex.  It allowed them to get up there at a moment’s notice.  It also made their spot the most vulnerable.

“INTRUDERS!!!” he shouted in their ears across the wire.  “It’s the Galra!  We need everyone!  Come, come quick!”

The receiver on the other end of the intercom picked up just a hint of a sigh.  “Are you sure?”

“YEESSSS!!!”

A deep _BOOM_ sounded in the distance.  Redbrick’s hands were up in a hurry, pressing buttons and probably aiming to bring down the fire of hell upon these two unsuspecting Galrans. 

The intercom, at a pace far, _far_ too slow, finally gave an answer back.  “We’ll send some men up there right away.”  His bored tone made Wancle fear it would be anything but right away.

“Oh, Flizzjabbers!” Redbrick cursed from across the room, prompting Wancle to turn around and look.  His colleague’s eyes were fixed upon another screen, one they almost didn’t notice in light of the ever-consuming Galra duo.  But oh boy, was it important.  On that screen were two gargantuan robotic lions, one green and the other black, sitting neatly inside a large cave.  And they weren’t just _any_ giant robot lions; they were _the_ giant robot lions.  Both Redbrick and Wancle had seen enough to know exactly what they were.  Which could only mean one thing…

“The Galra have captured two of the lions of Voltron!”

And to think, Wancle almost missed it playing Tiles.

 

* * *

 

 

Shiro knew enough to know that no mission – no matter how small and or how well thought-out it happened to be – could ever be expected to be _easy_.  He had been through far too much to ever think otherwise.  A science project turned into an acting fire hazard; a research mission turned into capture and imprisonment by an alien empire; a rescue mission devolved into getting flung across the universe and almost eaten alive by ravenous dogs.  That was just the way it worked.  Especially with all he and the other Paladins had been through in the past year fighting the Galra, Shiro never expected anything else – not that it was a problem or anything, it was just life.  Right now, he was quite fortunate just to be here, in, yes, _this_ reality.  But it was likely this would be no different – he and Pidge would encounter _some_ kind of roadblock finding her family out here.  Given the amount of unknowns, there had to be something unexpected in all of this.  However…

This?  This was just plain ridiculous.

He and Pidge were currently engaged in a fight for their lives, or at least it was probably intended to be.  A nice hoard of robotic humanoid soldiers came after them – just…after them, running straight forward and firing weapons at either them or the abyss.  Guns blasted from every rock and nook in the landscape.  Sirens blared loudly – from where he had not a clue.  Missiles kept exploding overhead like some sort of firework display, making Shiro grateful once again that their Paladin Armor was built with highly sophisticated anti-honing technology.  Targeted gunfire wouldn’t be able to pinpoint them; it would just get deflected into space.  It was apparent that someone was attempting to fire at them this way, but those methods were failing.  And yet, they were still firing anyways…

“Shiro!”

Shiro ducked in well enough time to avoid a large razor-sharp throwing star spinning straight at him from some rock.  It crashed into one of the robots instead.  A quick slice from his own robotic arm took out yet another.

“We just want to talk!” Shiro shouted into the air, hoping that perhaps there would be some hidden speaker in all this mess that could hear him.  This was quite frustrating, to say the least.  He figured that these rebels (he assumed it was them, at least) might not trust them, but couldn’t they at least come out in person before opening blind fire?  Not only was it frustrating for them, it had to be a terrible waste of resources.

Somewhere else in the midst of the hoard, Shiro could make the sound of Pidge cursing loudly and only found it in him to sigh in response.  Technically, this was the part where he had promised to contact Allura, but in such a situation as this, he had to acknowledge that the wisest course of action could be to not give a large show of force.  They just needed to get a chance to have a talk and prove that they were, in fact, on the same side.  After all, these guys had to run out of weapons eventually.  Hopefully they would at least show up and make this mission not so much harder than it needed to be.  


* * *

 

 

“These guys are tough – they’re destroying our defenses!” Redbrick sweated profusely from the combined effects of stress and constant movement.  He darted here to there, side to side.  Wancle was pressing random buttons, he believed.  Redbrick began to do the same.

When will they be getting that back-up!?

At this rate, the Galra would be upon them before a cock-a-doo could crow.  Did no one realize what this meant!?  They would be defeated.  The Galra would find their base and destroy it with fire.  The Vivanus would be left as prisoners, if not dead!  They would be poked at with sticks until the end of their days!  And their descendants, the universe to come, would remember, and they would not know what they did right, but they would know it was their fault for their captivity to the cruel Galra because they failed and it was all because no backup would come and Wancle wouldn’t stop playing his stupid game…

“Okay, what’s all this about?”

“GALRA!!!!!”

Wancle had responded to the three newcomers with a scream, the same three newcomers that were apparently supposed to be “backup” and the same three who seemed strangely affected by the watchmen’s panic.

And at the sight of them, panic set in on Redbrick even more.  They were no generals, no experts, no one important – just two common foot soldiers of the same rank as them and one young scientist that they had rescued from a Galra prison a while back. 

Still, he took quick action.  “See, these two are Galra!  See?” he pointed at the screen.  Redbrick then felt a nice glimmer as satisfaction as their eyes went wider and they looked to each other in shock.  They hadn’t expected anything, had they?  Well, proves _them_ wrong!

Then, one of the solders, Servol, had to ruin it all.  “If they’re really Galra, then why are they wearing white armor?” he questioned.

“I DON’T KNOW!” Redbrick took after Wancle and screamed in response.  How could they be so thick-headed!?  Did they not realize the universe was at stake here!?  “They could be _tricking_ us.  Don’t you see the _sensors_?  They’re Galra!  _Galra_ , I say!  Don’t be _fooled_!”

“…what is that?” The rant was broken by a simple yet all-encompassing question from the other soldier, Treeline, as he pointed with frozen wide eyes to the screen that portrayed the forms of the two Voltron lions.

It didn’t take long for conclusions to be made; the same conclusions made by the two watchmen just a little earlier.  “By Kremlin’s toes, the Galra have taken Voltron!” Servol exclaimed breathlessly.  “Redbrick!  Treeline!  Come with me; we’ll face the intruders and see if they have a good explanation for this.  Move!  Matt and Wancle, you keep an eye on the cameras; if this is an invasion, there’ll be reinforcements for sure.”

The three took off out of the room, leaving a perpetually shaking Wancle and the young pale-skinned alien scientist behind.  Wancle rung his hands in anticipation; he was surprised to see the scientist not do the same – he actually seemed amused at all of this.

“Well…what are _you_ smiling about!?” Wancle demanded.

Matt just shrugged.  “Heh, I don’t know – I legitimately thought you guys just saw a squirrel again…”

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge remembers how a chemistry teacher she once had told her that science was a profession of patience.  You have to study and do your research thoroughly, take your calculations slowly, and be careful and patient when you do all of those darn titrations.  It was kind of odd advice at the time, but later on, Pidge guessed she got the point.  Not that ramming into all of her science problems (and life problems) over and over again until she found something that worked could really be considered ‘patience’, she knew she could be at least persistent.  And yeah, patient.  But it felt weird for Pidge for call herself that, because science and technology were one thing, but people?  People were another.  And when it came to people, Pidge was _not_ patient.  Not at all.  Especially when they were idiots.

Idiots like these “Vivanus” numskulls, for instance.  If Shiro were not here, she would be a lot more tempted to strangle someone right now.

“You are under arrest by the United Order of the Vivanus!” the one guy shouted his threat for yet a third time from the inside of his heavily armored form as he blasted at them.  Well, at _least_ she knew they were at the right place now.  There were three of them at the moment, but in the distance Pidge could see at least another ten more coming up fast. She supposed that was bad, and maybe, just maybe, it was her own fault.  Most of the gunfire stopped when they first showed up and started questioning her and Shiro.  Who are you?  What do you want?  Blah, blah blah.  Shiro tried to talk reason, but Pidge (maybe a little too soon) started yelling and demanding where Matt was.  And…they got defensive.  Whoops.

“Please, we _just_ want to talk!” Shiro’s exasperated strain showed clearly through his voice.

“You must be questioned by the United Council of the United Order of the Vivanus first!  Please desist and come quietly!”

Ha, no.  They didn’t just ‘come quietly’.  Nope.  Not gonna happen.  Pidge began to wonder if these guys even _had_ Matt, or if they were, in fact, the same people.  Shiro was right; there _were_ a lot of unknowns.  But no one, not them, not anybody, was going to stop her from finding her brother.  She’d been through way too much to let this go.

The rebels’ reinforcements came, and for the first time, Pidge had legitimate cause to be concerned.  She and Shiro were way outnumbered, and these guys actually _did_ know how to fight (unlike their crappy defense systems).  Should they go back for their Lions?  Shiro thought things would be better if they presented themselves alone, but maybe with the Lions, they could at least be able to say ‘hey bozos!  We’re Voltron!  We’re on your friggin’ side, for crying out loud!’

Yeah, this could get complicated.

 

* * *

 

 

It had been a long, long time since Matt Holt had seen the light of day.  And that wasn’t even exclusive to the sun present in that little solar system that featured a little planet he once called home – Earth.  Nope, for over a year he had been buried deep in dark, windowless prison cells, courtesy of the Galra, and for several months after that, he had been buried deep under the surface of the planet Pica in a fancy (but windowless) secret base, courtesy of the Vivanus.  Not that he was ungrateful – no way!  They rescued him and a bunch of other prisoners out of the Galra’s ship, so he was free…mostly.  But the moment they found out he was a science/tech expert, he got _strongly encouraged_ to stay here with them.  Apparently, his type was in short supply, and the myriad of systems and defense mechanisms that inhabited this base needed a _lot_ of maintenance.  So yeah.  He stayed.  And honestly, it felt great to be back in his element again, to _do_ something and work on stuff.  This was his lifeblood.  This was what he loved to do.  Still…

He really wanted to see Earth again.  Hopefully, that was still possible.  But first, he wanted to find Dad and Shiro.  He had to find a way to rescue them from the Galra, too…if they were still alive, that is.  And for reasons he knew all too well and were highly his own fault, he had a way better chance with Dad than he did with Shiro.  Shiro…he never saw him again after that day, but he knew far too much about how slim a gladiator’s life expectancy was.  Worse than someone in the work camps, anyways, and either way, it was bad.  But it was in a work camp Matt was almost positively sure his dad was, in this location that was, sadly, too far away from here for the Vivanus to consider going.  He knew.  He asked.

So yep, months of hacking into the Galra’s systems whenever he got the chance, and that was all he had.  And that only made him homesick all the more, because hacking almost invariably reminded him of Katie.  She always was the best with computers…

No, one day.  One day he would see them all again.  ‘Take care of your father’, Shiro said.  He owed to him to find Dad…and reunite with Mom and Katie back home on Earth.  Eventually.  Until then, he would stick with the Vivanus and hope to get lucky.  But first, to save them from the threat presented by two random Galra (maybe?) soldiers randomly inserted onto the surface of their planet.

Seriously, they didn’t _look_ Galra, and Matt spent a _lot_ of time looking at the Galra.  But who knows?  He just had to make sure Wancle didn’t have a heart attack before they knew for sure.

“Why aren’t they stopping!?” Wancle wailed to the world, breathing in fast, rapid pace as he kept pressing buttons and looking anxiously at the camera feeds.

“Wancle!  You’re using up our ammunition!” Matt tried in vain to protest his alien friend back to sanity, even while his own tone bespoke nothing of calmness, but of panic gradually rising.  Unfortunately, stress was contagious.  It always was.  And although these two intruders were greatly outnumbered, it was true that they were still holding their ground quite well.

Matt tried to focus on what it was his job to do, reroute power to the main gate and boost their defenses, all the while hoping this would be an easy questioning session and that the strangers wouldn’t get accidentally killed before they got that far.  But considering the way they were fighting, that might not be a problem.  Still, something wasn’t quite right.  Those Galra energy signatures were way too low…

“Stand down and submit to the United Council of the United Order of the Vivanus!”

Servol’s voice broke once again through the intercom, followed by the repeated protests of the intruders.

“Please!  We come in peace!”

“Yeah!  We’re not going _anywhere_ before you tell us where my brother is!”

“No!  We just want to talk!”

You know, it was awfully weird, but Matt could’ve sworn he’d _heard_ those voices before.  Someone back at the Galra prison?  No…that wasn’t right…

“I just got word from Colonel Razzenburg!” Wancle had his hand on another receiver, where leadership from the control room was finally paying attention to them.  “He wants us to use the Fennick!”

Ooh…Matt was afraid of that.  The Fennick was hardly stable, and he knew.  He worked on that crazy thing.  It was an electromagnetic destabilizer, a wave-based device that could disrupt technology within at least a five mile radius.  It (theoretically) would render the intruder’s armor useless, but it would kind of do the same to all of their defenses too.   And then he would have to fix them…if it even worked.

“Are you sure we should…?”

“But Colonel Razzenburg!” Wancle gestured excitedly to the receiver, knowing that leadership was all the explanation needed.  Well, this was going to get messy.

Matt turned back to the outside intercom and began to give the word.  “Guys, you need to fall back.  We’re going to…”

“…or so help me, I _will_ hack your computers, _cover_ it in spam, and turn _all_ your screens upside down!  Don’t question me!  I _know_ how!”

Oh sweet Mother Earth…he knew that threat.  He _knew_ that threat.  There was…no way…

“…wait!” His previous instruction abruptly ended, Matt cried in sudden desperation while simultaneously darting back to the screen.  “Wait _right_ there!”

He remembered that.  He remembered that voice.  He also remembered Jerry from the tenth grade bursting into the room of their robotics club ranting and venting about how Matt’s ‘demon sister’ turned his computer screen upside-down and he couldn’t change it back.  But how could that possibly…?

Matt put his hands to the keyboard and zoomed in close on the faces of the two strangers, aware of Wancle curious stare from right over his shoulder.  He went in close, and there, behind their face masks, the evidence became unmistakable.  He could hardly believe it, but clear as day he saw it.

That was Katie and Shiro.  That was _Katie_ and _Shiro_.  _His_ Katie and Shiro.

“DON’T SHOOT!” He turned back to the intercom in a flash, now even more desperate, and for obvious reason.  “I know those guys!”

“You…you what?” Servol’s voice sounded confused and incredulous.

“I KNOW THEM!  Trust me!  Just…just wait, I’m coming!”

After nearly two years of being in either a dark prison cell or underground, Matthew Holt was finally about to see the light of day.  And no force in the universe was going to stop him.

“Wait, what…?” Wancle questioned in bewildered fashion as Matt started to dart out the door, but he was just as soon cut off.

“I’ll explain later!” After all, it might take a while, on more ends than one.  Because, you see, Matt was a scientist.  He didn’t believe in luck.  But the chances…it was almost too slim to be real.  _Way_ too slim.  Because there just so happened to be only four people in the universe that Matt really wanted to see again, and half of them were standing on what might as well be his front lawn.

 

* * *

 

 

“Halt!  Hold your fire!”

At one man’s cry, the fighting quickly teetered to a halt – a tense, unexpected standstill.  Pidge still had her bayard grasped tight, her weight shifted to her toes, her eyes and ears alert.  No way was she trusting these guys to stop _anything_.  That were obviously just biding their time, planning something?  Heck, maybe they just needed a _break_.  Granted, she wasn’t doing terribly stellar, either, but that was only due to that vague need to hold back and that vague reality that they still had no clue where they were going.  So far, this planet looked like nothing but a giant stinking _rock_.  But those rebels had to pop out from somewhere…

“Katie!  Shiro!  Is that you…guys?  You guys?  You?”

No way.  Was it really…?

Yep, there he was.  As fun as it would have been to bust down the doors and comb/hack the Vivanus hideout for any sign of her long-lost brother, this worked too.  Because right there, riding in (rather awkwardly, she might add) on a dirt bike-looking-thing, was nothing other than Matt Holt himself.

“Matt!”

Well, time for the waterfall.  Pidge lost all restraint; as soon as Matt stopped and his feet touched the ground, she had him tackled in an embrace, her helmet already thrown off, colliding and sending them both backwards like the wrecking ball of a sister she was.  He was tangible…this was _real_.  Her next move in a cool restoration of dignity was to release the man and punch him hard in the shoulder.

Matt’s response?  “It’s you, alright.”  An awkward laugh and a self-conscious rubbing of his probably now-aching shoulder followed.

Pidge didn’t even have any words.  She just…didn’t.  She wanted this so bad, she didn’t even know what to do.  Sing hallelujah?  Cry?  Nope, definitely not that.  And yet, she could already sense her stupid tear ducts betraying her.  But what…she didn’t _plan_ for this.  How could she even…

“You…you cut your hair…” Matt’s next words had a sorrowful tone, as he ventured to poke searchingly at her short, wild locks.

But…seriously?  _That_ was the first thing he thought of!?  Pidge felt herself growing indignant again.  “What?  Do I not like a _girl_ enough for you!?”

Matt was quick to throw up his hands in defense.  “Whoa, no!  Not like that!  I mean…I can’t _play_ with it anymore…”

Pidge just smiled and slapped him in the same shoulder once again, harder this time.  Yep, that was him.  But wait… _was_ it?  This was all a little too sudden for her.  Not she didn’t totally trust the Vivanus or anything, but…

 “You!” Pidge took a step back and pointed an accusatory finger towards her brother-probably.  This wouldn’t do.  She had played ‘Ms. Conspiracy Theorist Supreme’ way too long to have it be anything otherwise, and might she again mention that Shiro did, in fact, get replaced by a clone?  She better test him.  “Remember…remember when I was upset because they wouldn’t let me in that robotics competition when I was in fifth grade because I was ‘too young’?  What did you say to me?”

Matt’s face fell, perplexed with a hint of hurt.  “Well, sheesh, how am I supposed to remember _that_?  I mean…I remember you saying you wanted send in your robot anyways to smash their faces or something…”

“Well, _duh_ , that’s easy!  But what did _you_ say?”

 “Come on, Pidgeon, you got to give me something easier than that.  Like…umm…what about the names of your old ‘Tin Can Gang’?  You know, back when you were little and put googly eyes on Dad’s old gadget prototypes?  There was Jack von Leichen, Little Tiger, Metal and Steel is Real, Granny Got Run Over…”

“Stop!  Holy quiznak Matt, I _believe_ you, okay?” Yep, it was him.  And thanks to him, Pidge was now feeling recoiling shudders from that long-gone holy terror that drove her to throw that accursed contraption in the lake after something drove her one Christmas-spirit night to make it play that stupid song on loop – over and over and over again…

“Excuse me, what _is_ this?  What’s going on?”

And then, one of the Vivanus rebels just had to come forward to cut in on their touching sibling reunion time.  Figures.  The rebel, some man with a dark red, rock-textured face visible beneath his red helmet’s thick acrylic faceplate and clad in that same distinctive orange and black robe-like garb Pidge had studied for hours on end, was staring at them dumbly like they were some sort of headless mutant chickens or something.  Or conspirators.  One or the other.

“Redbrick!” Matt spoke to the guy in excited tones as he gestured wildly to his sister’s form.  “This is Katie!  She’s my sister, from back on Earth.  I told you about them, right?  Well…” he gestured once again, as if somehow, her white-and-green armored form with a human underneath would just make everything perfectly obvious.  “Here she is!”

Redbrick apparently was wasn’t convinced.  “But…how is she not _Galra_?”

Galra?  “Why the cheesecrack did you think I was _Galra_??”  Oh gosh, these people…

But Matt seemed to have the opinion that this would be a dispute better kept for later.  “We’ll sort it all out soon, I promise!  Give us a second, and we’ll all talk it out later inside, right?”

“Yeah, just a few minutes…” Pidge mumbled as she took a look behind her.  There _was_ something else.  Shiro was a few feet away now, just standing there kind of awkwardly.  So was he coming or what?  Pidge knew it as well as anybody – this reunion meant a lot to him, too.  So why was he looking like he would rather be anywhere else?  “Hey, Shiro!”

Matt went for him first, just walking steadily, or…mostly steadily.  Pidge didn’t see it at first, but she saw that Shiro couldn’t stop staring at his leg, and when she followed his gaze, she realized.  Matt had a limp.

“Well, buddy, you really have a hard time dying, don’t ya?”  Matt’s voice was light and jesting, though just a tad artificial.  He was busy staring at Shiro’s scar.  “You…umm…I guess you must be our ‘Galra intruder’, right?”  The statement was punctuated with air quotes, and Pidge could almost feel the Vivanus’ eyes growing wide with shock and interest.

And yet, Shiro’s eyes still held pain.  His smile wasn’t there.  “Matt…I’m sorry.  I…I didn’t mean to hurt you.  Your leg…” 

“Shiro, are you for _real_?”  Matt seemed stunned, shaking his head with the weird glimmer of a smile as if the very thought of this confession was quite hilarious in its absurdity.  “Apologize to _me_?  I should be apologizing to _you_!  I thought you were _dead_ , Shiro!  Because of _me_!  You saved me that day from Myzaxx, and…well, the leg kept me out of the ring ever since.  And I…I thought you would have died there.”

Now it was Matt’s turn to turn his eyes to the ground, and Shiro’s to look up, and smile.  “It’s okay.  It’s good to see you again, Matt.”

And now it was Pidge’s turn to just stand there in the background and do nothing.  But that was alright.  They looked…relaxed, which was good.  Especially with everything that happened.  And that she knew Shiro way too well to think he _wouldn’t_ try to beat himself up over every little…

“Commander Tresa wants to see you for debriefing.”

And…they were interrupted again.  One of the other Vivanus rebels, the one who kept telling them to ‘stand down’ and other crap like that, made himself appear right in the middle of their little party, all the while radiating the very essence of stress and impatience.

“Okay, we should go,” Matt let them know in short.  Well, it looks like they were going to come quietly, after all.  Oh well.

The three set off walking across the rocky desert plains, wary-eyed armed rebels close behind, and ever the prioritizer, Matt apparently had to get just one more stupid question in before they saw Commander What’s-Her-Face.

“Have you ever even seen a Vivanus computer before?”

“What?  Nooo…” she eyed her brother suspiciously, but he just laughed and shook his head.

“You always were good at bluffing it, Pidgeon.”

Oh, ye of little faith.  “Who said I was bluffing?”

 

* * *

 

 

“You two caused quite a stir today.  Care to explain your business here?”

The trim, woman-like figure seated before them seemed to be quite intent on staring them down like the Queen of Ice.  Her cool grey hands were folded business-like in her lap; her glossy ebony-black hair fell neatly over her shoulders.  Altogether, she looked to Pidge like a walking black-and-white photo from the 50s.  And she was quite aware that Commander Tresa was someone in charge; the woman radiated it.  And she supposed that was supposed to be intimidating or something.  Heh.

“We were simply on a mission to find Matt Holt, Commander.  I am a friend; Pidge is family.  We had been separated when he and I were taken prisoner by the Galra Empire.”  Shiro’s tone was firm and leaderlike, though with the unmistakable hint of relief.  They were finally talking, and Pidge was quite content at this point to let him do all of it.  She knew herself too well – she would totally chew them out for that little ‘warm reception’ of theirs.  And…she still wanted to.  A lot.  But patience…

“I see.  And how do you explain that the presence of the Voltron lions?  Our watchmen were under the impression that they were stolen.”

Oh, come on.  _We_ are _Voltron, you numskull!_   Was _that_ what this was all about?  Nope no no…let Shiro do the talking…

“The lions are ours, Commander…” Shiro paused a moment, as if wondering what the best way was to put this without sounding haughty.  “I am the Paladin of the Black Lion, and Pidge is the Paladin of the Green Lion.  The other three Paladins are not with us today; we came alone.”

At this, a wide-eyed chorus of gasps and oohs and disbelieving grunts sounded throughout the room.  Besides Tresa, there were some ten or fifteen Vivanus here, watching on in the background of what got introduced to them as the outer wing of the Control Room.  Because, apparently, the “Control Room” was actually many rooms.  Truth to told, it was nothing to sneeze at.  They were 28 stories down right now.  And as much as Pidge didn’t want to like these people right now, it did take considerable effort not to go over and poke at all the buttons and screens and panels in spite of herself.  Seriously, they had a _lot_ of computers.  Granted, considering their bad aim and obviously screwy conclusions, those systems were probably faulty, anyways.  Tsk, tsk…they should fix that. 

Commander Tresa’s reaction was far less dramatic.  She just raised an eyebrow.  “I see.  But if you are really the Paladins of Voltron, then why did our sensors pick up Galra on you?”

“Working on that, Commander!” Matt’s voice chimed his way into the conversation from where he sat whittling at a computer behind them.  “The sensors may be faulty.  I’m trying to recalibrate…” he pressed a few more buttons, but when the program popped back up, it still read ‘Galra’ loud and clear.  Oh, snap…

Shiro had a moment of realization in his eyes, followed by an embarrassed flush.  But he snapped back in a second, ready to explain what he knew: “Actually, Commander, that would be me.  I…”

Oh, no.  Nope nope nope; Shiro doesn’t get to talk anymore.  “He just fights so many Galra that their blood is all over him, right?”  Shiro looked confused.  “ _Right_ , Shiro?” Pidge stared him down through clenched teeth and hoped and prayed he would catch on.  _No way you were being ‘honest’ with this, Shiro.  They might just incinerate that arm for you, and guess what?  You might only have_ one _._   And that’s if they let him off easy.

Matt at least seemed to get the picture.  “Oh, right!  Yes, that makes sense, actually.  The Galra’s blood type is very unique; it would come up strong on the energy signature.  And…yeah…it’s hard to wash off.”

Well, by some miracle, Commander ‘Greyhound’ here seemed to buy it.  She moved on to other topics, which were really just the same old ones rephrased over and over again or were otherwise insignificant.  How did you find Voltron?  How long have you been Voltron?  How did you know Holt was here?  How did you find our base?  Where did you find that information on our base?  Are you really Voltron?  It was all rather insulting, really.  Here they were, just got done saving the universe, and these guys acted like Voltron was some vague entity and the Galra Empire was still whole and un-crumbled.  Puh- _lease_.  They’re not a problem anymore.  _Stop acting like they’re about to jump out from the rafters and pounce on you_.

A few other commander-people came by to ask them questions, too.  There was some lizard-skinned dude, another covered with orange ringlets – Pidge came to notice that the Vivanus was quite literally a rainbow, apparently pulled from a number of different alien races, although they most all had humanoid form.  Fascinating, really, but they were still numskulls.

Then, finally, after _way_ too much talking, the leaders of the Vivanus decided to leave them alone.  The three of them got to stay in some plain-walled ‘waiting’ room with light furnishings while the others went off somewhere to discuss their fate.  Fair enough.  They got to be alone.

Matt shook his head, threw it back, and gave some sort of crazed laugh.  Oh boy.  “So, umm, Shiro?  Katie?  How the heck did you two become Voltron?”

Ooh well, story time, then.  She would be sure to fill in all the details later, but for now, Pidge was going with the quick version.  “Yeah, so, Shiro escaped the Galra, crash-landed on Earth; we rescued him from the Garrison (those guys are idiots, by the way), found the Blue Lion….and left in it.  And here we are.”

Matt was silent for a moment, probably a bad sign.  His eyes were trained on the wall in blank stun-mode.  He probably needed more details.  But then came the yelling.  “You let my sister fly off into _space_!?  _And_ fight in a war?”

Ah, so he was talking to Shiro.  And now Shiro for the defense.  “Yeah…she…”

“HOW!?”

“It all happened rather…accidentally,” Shiro’s ears flushed a bright red, embarrassment at the awkward explanation sweeping over his features.  Gosh, he made this look painful.  “We were all with Lance – the Blue Paladin – when he took off in his Lion.  The Galra chased us…and we left through a wormhole…”

“Wait, the Galra got to you on _Earth_!?”

“No!  Well, not quite.  We were already in space when they showed up.”

“But how did you get there?”

“Because…well…the Garrison chased us.  It’s a long story…”

“Okay, so what you’re saying is that you let _my_ sister come with you in a giant alien robotic lion, where you got in a fight, flew all the way into space…”

“She was already…”

“Guys!” Pidge had quite enough of this.  “You’re cute, really, but I got into this mess just fine all by myself, thank you!” Her indignant glare had the two boys silenced rather quickly, sending loud and clear the message that she was not interested in being discussed as if she were not here or fully capable of speaking for herself just fine.

Matt just stopped and stared at Pidge dumbly; Shiro seemed to let on a small smile of relief and perhaps amusement.  He spoke to her now: “Yeah Pidge, I don’t think anyone could tell you ‘no’ if they tried.”

Heck yeah, they would!  Seriously, that was basically the story of her life.  Or at least…it was that way for the past two years.  Funny, so much has happened, it might as well have been a life.  A whole lifetime’s worth, anyways.  And her own brother didn’t even know the half of it.

He was pacing now, Matt was.  Possessed by some nervous energy undoubtedly placed there by the circumstances at hand, he walked to and fro and waved his hands at every word and gesture he made.  “Yeah, sure…but…it still doesn’t make sense!  How did this happen!?  They rescued you _from_ the Garrison?  What did _they_ do?  And how did you escape the Galra?  And Katie, why were you there?  And why does Shiro keep calling you ‘Pidge’?  And why did you cut your hair?  And…and…” his eyes grew wide with the excitement.  “How the Kremlinscour did you beat Zarkon!?”

“So you guys _do_ know we beat Zarkon!” Pidge pointed back with a sense of triumph.  “I was beginning to think no one noticed.”

Matt just shrugged and rolled his eyes.  “Our reports have been _fragmented_ lately, okay?  Prince Lotor was still a problem, but out here, we’ve been hearing everything from ‘he’s king now’ to ‘he’s exploded into the abyss’.  It’s been a little…quiet, lately.”

“Yeah, long story…”

“Okay,” Matt waved his hands in a move to dismiss this subject in favor of what was evidently the more pressing one.  “But I need to know one thing.  What exactly was the _real_ reason Shiro turned up reading Galra?” Matt questioned with a look of quite legitimate concern. 

Pidge really hoped the Vivanus weren’t somehow watching them right now, because Shiro was already at the helm with the explanation, albeit uneasily.  “The Galra…” his hesitancy got cut off by a breath quick and deep.  “When I was still a prisoner of the Galra, they cut off my arm…”

“THEY DID WHAT!?!?”

And then the door flung open.  “Paladins!  Holt!  You are required in the counseling room!” A Vivanus soldier entered in with a look morphed into horrified shock as he spotted a wide-eyed Matthew Holt bursting forth from his seat at a very awkward-looking Shiro.  “Ummm…”

“Coming!” Pidge found it in her to reassure the guy with a thumbs up just to make him leave.  Matt and Shiro stayed locked in place.  Shiro remembered to breathe again.

Matt stared without blinking.  “Your arm’s robotic.”

“It is.”

“They replaced your arm with a robot one.”

“Yes.”

Matt slunk back down and buried his now quite paler face in his hands.  “Oh my gosh they didn’t…”

Presently the same guy, not far enough away, apparently, peeked back into the room with trepidation.  Pidge’s eyes lay flat as she sighed and determined that story-time was definitely at an end.  “We’re coming, already!”  Sheesh.

 

* * *

 

 

The “counseling room” was formed much like a sort of small-quarters conference room, with a long table headed by a desk where Commander Tresa once again resided over them.  Her face was stern, still, but she and the rest of them were already acting much more welcoming.  At least, they seemed to like taking the time to introduce themselves now.

“You may or may not know this, Paladins, but the Vivanus are a very ancient and quite established people,” The Commander started with gravity, thin grey hands folded together on the desk.  “Ten thousand years ago, we were a city of traders and innovators, highly advanced and well-civilized.  However, we weren’t well defended.  When the Galra attacked, the city and its planet were completely destroyed.  But many refugees managed to flee, and one group landed here, and they dwelt and learnt amongst the nomadic peoples of the time.  They became the Remnant, the true United Order of the Vivanus.  And over time, we decided it was well within our rights and our pride to fight back.  And we, like you, are a union.  Many peoples from many planets have joined, including humans.” She gave a short nod towards Matt (whom Pidge was pretty sure was the only human there…). 

She took a short pause, and then got to her point.  “But you may like to know, we were finally to contact your Princess to verify your identities.  The Vivanus would have appreciated notice before Voltron sent an embassy, but we respect the move nonetheless.”

Well, ‘embassy’ wasn’t exactly the idea, but okay.  Shiro seemed to be letting out a sigh of relief.  “Thank you, Commander.  We apologize for any trouble our arrival may have caused, but we really only wanted to find our friend.”

“Understandable,” Tresa appeared undeterred.  “But still, alliance would be beneficial, perhaps under the terms of a _proper_ meeting?  But Voltron’s name is known well to us.  If you ever wish to change locations, we would consider your joining of the United Order of the Vivanus.”

Pidge and Shiro exchanged a quick, uncertain glance.  What exactly did she mean by ‘joining’?  Yeah, an alliance was great, but they already had one of those in _their_ galaxy.

“Thank you…” Shiro nodded.  “But we would like to remain where we are.  But in the future, the Voltron Alliance would be glad to consider a cooperation.”  Yeah, this was why he did the talking.

“Very well,” Commander Tresa made a move to get up, followed by all the others with her.  “If that is all you wish to say, you can be on your way…”

“Wait!” Matt raised his hand and spoke up suddenly in spite of the consequential glares received.  “I…I have a decision to make.  The Paladins are leaving; I want to go with them.  To stay.”

Pidge’s heart leapt with jubilee.  She ignored Tresa’s obvious shock and darted encouraging, hopeful eyes back to her brother.  _Yes_.  Yes, he could come back with them.  Sure, they hadn’t talked about it, but she did rather hope, somewhere in the back of her mind, that he would.  Of course, all she was really aiming for was seeing him again, but coming back to the Castle of Lions?  Heck yeah!

“Holt!  You wouldn’t consider leaving permanently, would you?” Tresa remained half-exited from her seat as she stared back wide-eyed across the table.  “We could still use you here.”

“Sorry,” Matt rose from his chair as well, looking more set in his ways that Pidge ever remembered possible.  “But again, Shiro is my friend, and Pidge is my sister.  I want to stay with them.”

Tresa still looked a little taken aback, but then she relaxed and dismissed them with a wave of her hand, and all was done.  “Very well.  Your work here is done.” She turned away and exited, leaving a very excitable three-some behind.

Now all standing up and ready to go, Pidge shoved away her brother’s backside with a grin.  “Welcome to Team Voltron, you dramatic nuthead!  So, you riding in Green or Black?”

“In what?”

“Yep, we sure got a lot to talk about.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun with this one. I really did. Chances are, these rebels will be nothing close to the canon ones, but I don't care; misunderstandings are amusing. 
> 
> Fun fact: it was actually when I was in the tenth grade when I discovered that flipping computer screens was a thing. Because my friend did it to mine when I wasn't looking...and just sat there and smiled while I panicked trying to figure out what just happened.
> 
> Also, shout out to CalicoTomcat! I totally used her middle name for Katie from her work, Stardust, Silk, and Steel - Katherine Valentina Holt. I wanted a full name for that sentence, and she doesn't have one specified canonically, so I kind of just went with what was in my head. Which was that one.
> 
> And sorry I kind of completely missed 60% of Voltron in this chapter - the boys will get their own fun next chapter in the 'meanwhile' story. Stay tuned!


End file.
